Railway-switch.



I. M. KELTNER.

RAILWAY SWITCH. APPLICATION FILED novLzs, '1901.

Patented Oct; 20, 19.08(

2' SHEETS-SHEET 1.

blilltwl flaws/as APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1907.

I. M. KELTNER. RAILWAY SWITCH.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IRA M. KELTNER, or cARnoLLroN, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 20, 1908.

Application filed November 25, 1907. Serial No. 403,672.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA M. KELTNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carrollton, in the county of Carroll and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway switches and has for its object to produce a switch which is automatically opened by a train passing the switch on the main track and which automatically closes after the passage of such train to permit the same to back or another train to pass onto the switch or to permit a train on the switch to pass out thereof and onto the main track.

A further object is to produce means whereby the switch may be manually opened, to permit a train to continue on the main track instead of passing onto the switch.

With these general objects in view and others as hereafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1, is a top plan view of a railway switch embodying my invention, the switchstand being shown in section. Fig. 2, is a side view of the construction disclosed by Fig. 1. F ig. 3, is an enlarged section taken on the line III-11]: of Fig. 1. Fig. 4, is an enlarged section taken on the line 1V-IV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is a section taken on the dotted line V of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken in the same plane as Fig. 3, with certain of the parts shown in a different position of adjustment.

In the said drawings 1 indicates the cross ties.

2 indicates the stationary rail and 3 the movable rail of the main track section.

4 indicates the stationary rail of the switch track section, said rail beyond the point of rail 3 forming part of the main track as usual; and 5 indicates the movable rail of the switch-track section.

6 indicates a bracket secured to the crosstie underlying the free end of rail 3.

7 is one member of an extensible cross-bar, said member being reduced to provide shoulder 8 and the reduced portion 9 which extends slidingly through bracket 6 and is provided at the side of the bracket occupied by rail 3 with a head 9 rigidly secured as shown at 9 or otherwise to said rail 3. The member 7 is also secured as shown at 10 or otherwise to rail 5. By this arrangement it will be seen that longitudinal movement imparted to member 7 in one direction will open the switch by moving rail 3 toward and against rail 4 and rail 5 away from rail 2 and incidentally effect compression of spring 11 mounted on portion 9 of member 7 and bearing at its opposite ends against shoulder 8 and bracket 6, said spring being sufficiently powerful to restore the rails 3 and 5 to their original position as hereinafter explained. The member 7 is provided outward of rail 2 with an opening 12 and fits slidingly in the tubular inner portion of the outer member 13 of the cross-bar. Member 13 is reduced at its outer end to form the outwardly disposed shoulder 14 and the reduced portion 15 projecting beyond the same and fitting slidingly in bracket 16 carried by the adjacent cross-tie. The member 13 is provided in its lower edge by preference with teeth 17 so as to constitute a rack-bar, and pivotally carries at 18 a lever 19. A spring 20 secured to said member presses the lever upward so as to hold its pivotally pendent pin 21 normally in engagement with the opening 12 in member 7.

22 indicates a link-bar pivotally connecting member 7 with the crank arm 23 of the switch-stand shaft 24., 25 indicating the frame of said stand and 26 the usual or any preferred type of lever for operating said shaft.

27 indicates a gear wheel meshin with the rack-bar member 13 and secured upon a shaft 28 journaled at its opposite ends in bearings 29 and 30 secured to cross-ties at suitable distances apart.

31 is a bevel gear secured upon shaft 28 and meshing with a vertically arranged rackbar 32 provided with a stem 33 fitting slidingly in a tubular thimble 34 secured in the underlying cross-tie.

The rack-bar 32 is secured by a in 35 to a pair of lugs 36 projecting outwardly from a pairof levers 37 occupying a recess 38 formed 1n the outer side of rail 2 and pivoted at their remote ends to said rail as at 39, brackets 40 secured to certain ties being disposed at the outer sides of levers 37 to cooperate with rail 2 in guiding them in their pivotal movement.

The levers 37 normally slope upwardly from their pivoted ends to a plane above the tread-surface of rail 2 and at their contiguous ends are pivotally connected by a pin 41 to compel them to work in unison, it being noted that the hole 42 in which pivot 41 is arranged, is elongated so as to accommodate the pivotal movement of the levers it being further noted that the inner and outer faces of the levers occupy the same vertical planes by providing one of them with a bifurcation 43 and the other with a tongue 44 engaging said bifurcation. (See Fig. 5).

Assuming that the parts are arranged as shown and that a train is traveling on the main track section in the direction indicated by the arrow, Fig. 1, it will be apparent that the wheels of the first car will ride upon one of the levers 37 and consequently force the same and the companion lever 37 downward. This action imparts like movement to rack bar 32 and hence through the gearing described forces the extensible cross bar in the direction indicated by the contiguous arrow Figs. 1 and 3 so as to overcome the resistance of spring 11 and move the rails 3 and 5 against rail 4 and away from rail 2 respectively, so that a train may pass onto the main track without interference on the part of the switch. As the last car passes the switch,

the spring 11 returns said parts to their origi.

nal positions, that is to say, recloses the switch. In the event that a train which should continue on the main track is aproaching the closed switch, it is necessary for the switchman to open the switch and this he accomplishes by grasping the switchstand lever 36 and turning the same. By this action he performs the same function that the train performed by depressing the levers 37 Should the switchman find it impossible to perform such operation because of the levers being frozen in their elevated position, he places his foot upon and depresses lever 19 so as to withdraw pin 21 from opening 12, and then operates lever 26 and through the medium of link 22 operates the member 7 of the cross bar and opens the switch. After the train has passed he releases lever 26 or unlocks it he has locked it in its new position, so as to permit spring 9 to reclose the switch, it being noted by reference to Fig. 3 that as the spring slides member 7 outwardly again the pin 21 will be automatically reintroduced in opening 12 by the pressure exerted by spring 20.

To hold the switch open after being manually opened, I prefer the following construction:-45 is a gravity catch pivoted to rail 2 and provided with a beveled free end 46 dis posed toward and in the same vertical plane as a pin 47 projecting laterally from member 7 and the member 13, it being noted that when the said cross-bar is contracted, said pin is adjacent to the inner end of member 13. As the bar as a whole is moved inward the in and member 13 successively engage and ift the gravity catch until it rests upon said member, dropping to its original posi tion when the movement of the bar is reversed. When member 7 is moved inward alone, its pin 46 engages and lifts the catch and then the latter drops outward of the pin and holds the switch open and thus relieves the operator of holding it open until the approaching train traveling on the main track in the opposite direction to that indicated by the arrow (Fig. 1) passes, the point of the switch, said train immediately after passing such point engaging the right-hand lever 37 and depressing the same and the companion lever 37 and moving member 13 inward to relevate the catch so as to permit the cross bar as a whole to be returned to its original position by spring 11, after the train clears the said companion lever 37.

If desired the spring-actuated pin 21 for locking the two members of the extensible cross-bar together and the lever 19 for withdrawing said pin 21, may be omitted as the action of spring 11 is suflicient to normally hold the said bar contracted and the switch closed.

From the above description it will be ap-' parent that I have produced a railway switch which can be 0 ened by a train or manually and which wil automatically close when no longer resisted by an overpowering force, it being further noted that the switchman by the proper manipulation of lever 26 may assist the spring 11 in the closing operation if desirable or necessary.

It is to be understood, of course, that I reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detail construction and arrangement of the parts as properly fall within the principle of construction involved.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railway switch, a main track section comprising a stationary rail and 'a movable rail, a switch track section comprising a stationary rail and a movable rail, a crossbar connecting the movable rails together,

and provided with rack-teeth, a pair oi levers suitably pivoted at their remote ends and pivoted together at their contiguous ends and sloping upward toward the last-named ends to a point above the contiguous stationary main track rail, a vertical rack-bar movable with said levers, a shait, a gear wheel secured upon one end of the shaft and engaging said rack-bar, a second gear wheel secured upon said shaft and engagin the rack-teeth. of said cross-bar, and yie ding means for resisting the depression of said levers and the opening of the switch.

2. In a railway switch, a main track section comprising a stationary rail and a movable rail, a switch track section comprising a stationary rail and a movable rail, a cross bar consisting of an inner member connecting the movable rails and an outer member slidably connected to the inner member, a spring tending to hold said members pressed endwise together and the switch closed, a switch-stand rovided with a movable arm, a link pivotal y connecting said arm with the said inner member, a in rojecting from said inner member an; a bevel-end catch suitably pivoted and adapted when the switch-stand is operated to open the switch, to be pushed aside by said pin and then drop behind it to lock the switch open.

3. In a railway switch, a main track section comprising a stationary rail and a movable rail, a switch track section comprising a stationary rail and a movable rail, a cross bar consisting of an inner member connecting the movable rails and an outer member slidably Y connected to the inner member, a spring tending to hold said members pressed endwise together and the switch closed, a switchstand rovided with a movable arm, a link pivotally connecting said arm with the said inner member, a pin rojecting from said inner member, a beve -end catch suitably pivoted and adapted when the switch-stand is operated to open the switch, to be pushed aside by said in and then drop behind it to lock the switc open, and means to operate the said outer member and cause the same to lift said catch to inoperative position.

4. In a railway switch, a main track section comprising a stationary rail and a movable rail, a switch track section comprising a stationary rail and a movable rail, a cross-bar consisting of an inner member connecting the movable rails and an outer member slidably connected to the inner member, a spring-actuated pin locking said members rigidly together, means to unlock said pin, a switchstand embodying a shaft provided with a handle and a crank arm, a link pivotally connecting the crank arm and the inner member of the cross-bar, and a spring for resisting movement of the inner member tending to open the switch.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

IRA M. KELTNER.

Witnesses:

WHEAT HARPER, RUssEL KELTNER. 

